Gardasil Effective Against Vaginal Cancers

Susan Farley

Published Online: Tuesday, August 1, 2006

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A data review of 3 clinical trials
showed that the cervical cancer vaccine,
Gardasil, also protects against vulvar
and vaginal cancers. The vaccine,
manufactured by Merck & Co, attacks 4
strains of human papillomavirus (HPV):
HPV 16 and 18, which are linked to cervical
cancer, and HPV 6 and 11, which
cause anogenital warts. Researchers
evaluated Gardasil in 18,000 women
around the world; none had been
exposed to HPV when the trial started.
They were randomly assigned to
receive 1 to 3 doses of either the vaccine
or a placebo over a 6-month period,
after which they were followed for 2
years. When the trial ended, 24 women
in the placebo group had developed
high-grade precancerous HPV-type 16
and 18 lesions, compared with none in
the vaccine group. Lesions caused by
HPV types other than 16 and 18
appeared in 27 patients in the placebo
group and 5 patients in the vaccine
groupmaking the vaccine 81% effective
against cancers associated with any
HPV type. This research was presented
at the American Society of Clinical
Oncology annual meeting in Atlanta, Ga.